The following week was hectic as Eileen and I attended the Rag Review, the Rag Dance on the Friday night (all night!) followed by the Rag Procession on the Saturday morning where she joined me on the departmental float through the town, collecting money for charity. We learned a lot about each other during Rag Week and neither of us were lost for words.
By the end of the packed week, however, I felt I needed to stand back for a while and return to my usual routine. This was my last year of study and I was beginning to consider where I was going to find a job. At that time I had no thoughts about staying in Newcastle and newly-qualified architects found it fairly easy to find work in those days.
I also realised that Eileen had a busy life. She was part of a closely-knit family, with a social life and working environment totally different to my own. My world had been turned upside down in a few days but, like a real cad, I didn't make any arrangements for another date. In the following weeks I thought about her a lot and, working side by side with Chris, and seeing him with Eileen's sister, Maria, these thoughts were kept alive.
Some weeks later Chris approached me with an invitation to a concert at the City Hall in Newcastle, where Eileen was appearing along with the well-known Scottish tenor, Kenneth McKellar. I didn't hesitate in accepting the invitation by ringing Eileen at work. Mind you, I was made to sit up and take notice when she answered the phone with the words, "Hello David!"
The concert in November was a sell-out and there was Eileen's name in the programme as a guest artist. She had booked a row of seats in the front stalls for her family and close friends plus me and another young man unknown to me at the time. Apparently Eileen wanted to put us next to each other but the family wouldn't let her get away with it.
I soon realised Eileen was an accomplished singer with professional confidence already built up over a few years. Her mezzo-soprano trained voice was superb and she had the looks to match, dressed in evening wear that sparkled in the theatre lights.
The star of the show, McKellar, sang the songs for which he was famous, mostly Scottish ballads, but he could not overshadow Eileen's performance. As a local singer she had plenty of support as she sang numbers including "This is my Lovely Day", "Granada" and "If I Loved You".
After the concert I met Eileen's family backstage in her dressing room and then I was left to spend some time alone with her. It was a lot for me to take in at the time. This young woman, 24, the same age as me, and yet a star in her own right. It was difficult to appreciate how she was feeling after the high of a public performance and how she needed to wind down before going home. So we walked through the Newcastle streets, chatting about ordinary things from family and work. It was clear that she loved her family including her younger sisters and little brother, who was only 11 at the time.
As there was nowhere to sit inside at 10pm apart from a few rough city pubs, we ended up opposite the Central Station drinking hot coffee at a mobile drinks stand. We were joined by the concert compere, comedian Fran Dowie, who was waiting for the next train down to London. After the glamour of the entertainment business, this was a bit of a come-down.
From now on I was to experience a life outside university and have the opportunity to enjoy female company to balance the all-male world of the architecture department and the flat. Eileen and I went out together from time to time over the next few weeks and got to know each other better.
